Ballyhegan’s band of brothers

By Shaun Casey

EVERY successful team refers to their teammates as brothers but in Ballyhegan’s dressing room, that quite literally is the case.

Chris Rafferty’s team were crowned Junior Championship winners in Armagh last Saturday afternoon, destroying near neighbours Collegeland in the final, to finish off a memorable season.

The win doubled up on their impressive Division 3A league success earlier in the year, where they won all but one game throughout the entire campaign.

A band of brothers delivering for their club.

Kevin McCann was the man who got his hands on the Sean Quinn Cup and the captain was supported by his siblings Michael, who started at full back, and Paul, who came off the bench.

There’s the Raffertys. Full forward Jack claimed a goal on the day, his fifth of the championship, while Ryan was introduced during the second period.

The McQuade’s, Paul, Ben and Ryan, who all played every single minute of Saturday’s showdown. Paul and Ben in defence, with Ryan in attack.

Of course there are the McGranes as well. Peter nabbed a goal in the county final and lined out with his younger siblings Ronan, Ruairi and Aodhan. All nephews of former Armagh skipper and 2002 All-Ireland winner Paul.

A team built on trust and bonded by brotherhood, how could they ever fail?

“We’re a wee rural club and we rely on so many of the same households basically to get us through compared to bigger clubs with a bigger pick,” said Armagh star Peter McGrane.

“I don’t think you’ll really come by as many brothers on one starting team nowadays. Having brothers on the pitch, I can only speak for our household, it’s brilliant.

“I don’t really get to play or train with them all that often when I’m away with Armagh, but when I come back, we’d have pretty good chemistry, and I’d know what each of them is doing on the field.

“I know how they play and it’s nice to be able to play with them because you know where they’re going to pass to and things like that and I know how I can get the most out of them and how they can get the most out of me.”

The older of the McGranes, Peter is now 24 years of age. Ronan is next in line and three years his junior while Aodhan and Ruairi are both 19 years old.

Growing up, football was everything and being the oldest of the four, Peter usually gained the upper hand when a game broke out in the back garden.

“We played with each other out the back and that’s where we would have done the majority of our training,” McGrane reflected.

“Obviously there was Ballyhegan training and development squads and that but when we were younger, we would have got our homework done and went straight outside.

“It was good craic and I would have had the upper hand back then but maybe not so much now, they’ve got a lot stronger since then.”

After Armagh were knocked out of the race for Sam Maguire, McGrane was straight back into club commitments and shared much more time with his younger brothers.

“We’re all in the same house so it does get busy enough. It works out well now when we’re all going to the same training sessions but quite often, we’re not.

“Everybody is going to different training sessions; I’m going with Armagh and Aodhan is going to the U20s and MacRory and all those different teams.

“It’s good when you’re able to go to training together, the four of us and to be on the same team, it is definitely special.”

Ronan didn’t start the county final but was introduced from the bench. When the final whistle sounded, all four McGrane brothers were on the pitch together.

“It was unreal for all of us to be on the field come the final whistle,” he explained. “We had talked about it before, even just going along in the car, that we want a lot more for Ballyhegan.

“We did say how good it would be for us all to be on the same team and winning championship games and then championship titles together and having aspirations of getting out of junior and up through the divisions eventually.”

The McGrane brothers represent the talent and quality that has emerged through the Ballyhegan ranks over the past few seasons.

And their Junior Championship success wasn’t the only cause for celebration this year. The club won the Division Two U16 and the Division Three minor titles earlier in the season.

Peter is with the Armagh seniors; Aodhan played for the U20s this season. Cormac and Niall Murphy have been county minors in recent years.

The silverware returning to the club is testament to the hard work that’s going on at ground level and it’s exciting times for Ballyhegan.

“It’s unbelievable because we would usually be competing in Division Three at underage level so it’s great to see those U16s go and win a Division Two championship,” he added.

“From our perspective, all the younger boys have been unbelievable this year and have nearly been the driving force for us getting over the line.”

A lot of them have already pulled on the orange and white jersey at various levels. “It’s a credit to them and the standards they hold themselves to,” McGrane continued.

“Most of the boys that have come up have been playing for Armagh at underage level and playing with St Pat’s Armagh in the MacRory Cup.

“The coaching they have been exposed to has really brought them on and when they come back to Ballyhegan, they can offer so much more.

“For the minors and the U16s, it’s great to see because usually you’d only be getting one or two or maybe no one up into the senior team year on year.

“But it’s great to see so many boys looking to push on and succeed with Ballyhegan and we can’t wait to get them up into the senior team.”

The next step for the club is the Ulster Championship, and they await the winners of this weekend’s preliminary round clash between Derry’s Doire Trasna and Lacken of Cavan.

The Davitts did compete on the provincial scene back in 2023, but it wasn’t the same. They had lost the county final to Clann Éireann IIs and since seconds teams aren’t allowed to advance to Ulster, Ballyhegan had to represent the Orchard County.

“The last time we played in Ulster, we felt like we didn’t deserve to be there because we didn’t win the championship. It was very hallow so it’s great to actually have the opportunity now that we have earned to go and have a craic at it.

“Regardless of who we get, we just want to be playing football in November. That’s the big thing that management have been talking about, being able to play football in November, it’s unbelievable so hopefully we can make the most of it.”

Web body

By Shaun Casey

EVERY successful team refers to their teammates as brothers but in Ballyhegan’s dressing room, that quite literally is the case.

Chris Rafferty’s team were crowned Junior Championship winners in Armagh last Saturday afternoon, destroying near neighbours Collegeland in the final, to finish off a memorable season.

The win doubled up on their impressive Division 3A league success earlier in the year, where they won all but one game throughout the entire campaign.

A band of brothers delivering for their club.

Kevin McCann was the man who got his hands on the Sean Quinn Cup and the captain was supported by his siblings Michael, who started at full back, and Paul, who came off the bench.

There’s the Raffertys. Full forward Jack claimed a goal on the day, his fifth of the championship, while Ryan was introduced during the second period.

The McQuade’s, Paul, Ben and Ryan, who all played every single minute of Saturday’s showdown. Paul and Ben in defence, with Ryan in attack.

Of course there are the McGranes as well. Peter nabbed a goal in the county final and lined out with his younger siblings Ronan, Ruairi and Aodhan. All nephews of former Armagh skipper and 2002 All-Ireland winner Paul.

A team built on trust and bonded by brotherhood, how could they ever fail?

“We’re a wee rural club and we rely on so many of the same households basically to get us through compared to bigger clubs with a bigger pick,” said Armagh star Peter McGrane.

“I don’t think you’ll really come by as many brothers on one starting team nowadays. Having brothers on the pitch, I can only speak for our household, it’s brilliant.

“I don’t really get to play or train with them all that often when I’m away with Armagh, but when I come back, we’d have pretty good chemistry, and I’d know what each of them is doing on the field.

“I know how they play and it’s nice to be able to play with them because you know where they’re going to pass to and things like that and I know how I can get the most out of them and how they can get the most out of me.”

The older of the McGranes, Peter is now 24 years of age. Ronan is next in line and three years his junior while Aodhan and Ruairi are both 19 years old.

Growing up, football was everything and being the oldest of the four, Peter usually gained the upper hand when a game broke out in the back garden.

“We played with each other out the back and that’s where we would have done the majority of our training,” McGrane reflected.

“Obviously there was Ballyhegan training and development squads and that but when we were younger, we would have got our homework done and went straight outside.

“It was good craic and I would have had the upper hand back then but maybe not so much now, they’ve got a lot stronger since then.”

After Armagh were knocked out of the race for Sam Maguire, McGrane was straight back into club commitments and shared much more time with his younger brothers.

“We’re all in the same house so it does get busy enough. It works out well now when we’re all going to the same training sessions but quite often, we’re not.

“Everybody is going to different training sessions; I’m going with Armagh and Aodhan is going to the U20s and MacRory and all those different teams.

“It’s good when you’re able to go to training together, the four of us and to be on the same team, it is definitely special.”

Ronan didn’t start the county final but was introduced from the bench. When the final whistle sounded, all four McGrane brothers were on the pitch together.

“It was unreal for all of us to be on the field come the final whistle,” he explained. “We had talked about it before, even just going along in the car, that we want a lot more for Ballyhegan.

“We did say how good it would be for us all to be on the same team and winning championship games and then championship titles together and having aspirations of getting out of junior and up through the divisions eventually.”

The McGrane brothers represent the talent and quality that has emerged through the Ballyhegan ranks over the past few seasons.

And their Junior Championship success wasn’t the only cause for celebration this year. The club won the Division Two U16 and the Division Three minor titles earlier in the season.

Peter is with the Armagh seniors; Aodhan played for the U20s this season. Cormac and Niall Murphy have been county minors in recent years.

The silverware returning to the club is testament to the hard work that’s going on at ground level and it’s exciting times for Ballyhegan.

“It’s unbelievable because we would usually be competing in Division Three at underage level so it’s great to see those U16s go and win a Division Two championship,” he added.

“From our perspective, all the younger boys have been unbelievable this year and have nearly been the driving force for us getting over the line.”

A lot of them have already pulled on the orange and white jersey at various levels. “It’s a credit to them and the standards they hold themselves to,” McGrane continued.

“Most of the boys that have come up have been playing for Armagh at underage level and playing with St Pat’s Armagh in the MacRory Cup.

“The coaching they have been exposed to has really brought them on and when they come back to Ballyhegan, they can offer so much more.

“For the minors and the U16s, it’s great to see because usually you’d only be getting one or two or maybe no one up into the senior team year on year.

“But it’s great to see so many boys looking to push on and succeed with Ballyhegan and we can’t wait to get them up into the senior team.”

The next step for the club is the Ulster Championship, and they await the winners of this weekend’s preliminary round clash between Derry’s Doire Trasna and Lacken of Cavan.

The Davitts did compete on the provincial scene back in 2023, but it wasn’t the same. They had lost the county final to Clann Éireann IIs and since seconds teams aren’t allowed to advance to Ulster, Ballyhegan had to represent the Orchard County.

“The last time we played in Ulster, we felt like we didn’t deserve to be there because we didn’t win the championship. It was very hallow so it’s great to actually have the opportunity now that we have earned to go and have a craic at it.

“Regardless of who we get, we just want to be playing football in November. That’s the big thing that management have been talking about, being able to play football in November, it’s unbelievable so hopefully we can make the most of it.”